


Just A Taste

by TheWolfAndTheRabbit



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Vampires, fluff?, laven, laven fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 05:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16907133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfAndTheRabbit/pseuds/TheWolfAndTheRabbit
Summary: Being a vampire in modern day is not easy, especially when you're trying to keep it a secret and a certain redhead won't leave you in peace.





	Just A Taste

**Author's Note:**

> First of all I'd like to thank my friend Kitty-Bandit for being such an awesome person and helping me edit this small disaster XD
> 
> All credits for the title goes to her as well because I lack any talent for those. Thank you for finding a decent sounding title so it wouldn't sound awful like the one I came up with for mine and Unanee's joined fic. 
> 
> It's my very first Laven work so I hope you guys don't find the way I wrote them too OOC. It would be great if you left a comment with your thoughts on it :3 
> 
> Thank you for reading this! 
> 
> This idea came to me while I was working on my Lucky vampire one shot. I thought it would be nice to write something of a slightly lighter tone- a modern day vampire fic of a vampire who works at the hospital and snack on the rejected blood donations ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> And then it became a short Laven one shot.. so yeah XD I do hope you enjoy it.

Being a vampire in the modern age was not a simple thing. It was impossible kidnap or lure some random citizen and drain them of blood. At least vampire hunter was no longer a desired profession,since most of humanity did not believe in them anymore, and those who did were considered insane or superstitious.

And when you lived in a big city, it was easier to blend in. 

Allen never really fit in, but despite having a unique look about him, most people didn’t grant him any special attention. His white hair was not so different than many other teens’ who dyed their hair white according to the latest fashion. He rarely got asked about his scar that graced his otherwise flawless face, and when they did he came up with an excuse to which they somehow believed. It surprised him.

His guardian, or his step-dad as he often referred to him, somehow manage to get him a fake ID and a proper job as a nurse at ‘Black Order’ hospital. Cross had taught him everything he knew about medicine with dedication. He had charm and tricks up his sleeve and it didn’t take him long to convince the head nurse to give Allen that job. 

Allen never asked about it, nor did he want to know what means he used to get her to agree. 

She had no idea what Allen was, and neither did the rest of the hospital. Even if he joked about it, people were inclined to believe that he was merely joking and brush it off as a joke. He got along fairly well with his co-workers and patients alike, except for the janitor who seemed to have general dislike for him from the moment they met. 

 

He often heard Chaoji mumbling something to himself under his breath whenever he passed him by. Allen didn’t really care to know what it was that he was whispering frantically to himself, but he could guess that it was some prayer in Latin to keep Allen away from him. Not that Allen really needed a reason.

Making friends proved quite difficult in his situation, but there was a certain redhead that constantly tried to befriend him. And Allen would have considered him one if he really could, but they lived in two different worlds. 

 

Lavi never seemed to get tired of offering to go out with him and their other co-worker, Lenalee, for a drink or the beach, and there was a limit to how many excuses Allen could come up with. 

He was always working the night shift for obvious reasons. He only took the day shift when he had no other choice, but that was always a hassle. He loved how quiet it was sometimes. Like any other hospital, it functioned around the clock, but the night shift was generally nicer. The icing on the cake, however, was that he could easily grab an additional snack--fresh bags of donated blood that were rejected for one reason or another. Allen wasn’t as picky, and as long as it was fresh and cold from the fridge he’d revel in it.

There was no use for it anyway, and he wasn’t hurting anyone.  
With a quick test of smell it was easy to determine whether the blood was good. If it smelled good to him he’d have a feast, but if the person was a chain smoker or a heavy drinker he’d know and immediately throw the bag away with a disgusted twitch of his nose.

 

All in all he was content in his job. Even if he needed to mingle with humans and pretend that he was one of them, it wasn’t so bad. Long ago he’d learned how to overcome his urges when they struck him and the smell of blood didn’t make him lose all of his senses. Even human food tasted good to him and whenever he couldn’t get ahold of fresh blood he’d resort to that. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Hey, Al! Why don’t you come with us to grab a drink tomorrow after work?” Lavi whined. He rested his head over his crossed arms on the table. His eyes pleaded and he pouted sourly. Allen always declined and today probably wasn’t going to be any different, but Lavi never gave up. He always tried his luck in getting Allen to go out with them, never giving up.

“Sorry. I’m busy afterwards. But maybe next time ” He returned a smile in kind . This had been going on for about half a year, ever since Allen started working at the hospital. In almost every shift that they shared, Lavi suggested doing something after work, or over the weekend, but Allen always politely declined.

It didn’t really matter whether he wanted to make human friends or not . He had a reason not to. A damn good one. Even if the risk was minimal, he didn’t want to take it. Cross was the only person who knew of it, and he was going to keep it that way. 

“Busy, busy, busy… You can’t possibly think that I’d believe that you’re always busy, right?” Lavi pushed himself upright, his hair sticking up from his bandana like a troll doll. “I mean,I’m a university student with a job and I still make some time to hang out with my friends and relax, and you should too,” He looked at Allen expectedly, his eyes shone with hope that this time he’d be able to make Allen change his mind. 

“I don’t really drink,” Allen shrugged and picked up his book again. He’d been reading it when Lavi came into the room, but the redhead made too much noise for him to concentrate, so he had to put it down on the table.

“You wouldn’t even have to. We just want you to come hangout. ” Lavi couldn’t quite mask his disappointment . He was good at it, very good. But Allen was also good at reading him. And as much as Allen hated to be the cause for it, he didn’t let it get to him. As long as he didn’t get too involved, his secret too was safe. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allen hurried down the street, pulling his hood over his face to avoid direct sunlight. Contrary to the old belief, he would need to stand for a long time in the sun naked for it to actually kill him, but he didn’t want to take the risk.  
It still burnt like a motherfucker and inflicted really bad burns if the sun was high in the sky. 

He looked like an idiot, but better look like one than suffer excruciating pain. Right now, it didn’t really matter, as it was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to set in the horizon. He didn’t have to wear everything for much longer, but he still wore his shades and his white gloves. 

Just as he was about to cross the crosswalk, a hand grabbed at his shoulder, keeping him in place. Allen blinked and growled, turning around with an irritated sulk. He shouldn’t have been at all surprised when he turned around he saw Lavi. 

He was panting and sweating, the red color on his cheeks almost matched his hair. “I saw you leave and tried to call you, but you didn’t hear me,” 

“Eeh, yeah..” 

“I was heading out to meet Lena and her boyfriend. Wanna join us?” 

Allen shook his head vehemently. He just wanted to get home and retire for the night. He was too tired, not having slept for hours. That’s why he disliked those early morning shifts so much. He was most active at night, and could never get enough rest.

“Sorry. Can't. I gotta go help my stepdad with something,” 

“Right... Well, I guess that we’re both heading to the same way. I’ll walk you to the train station,” Lavi mumbled and continued to walk by Allen’s side. “Say, Al… what’s up with the coat? It’s like thirty degrees outside. Are you sick or something?”

“Nope. I’m just allergic to the sun,” Allen shot back, having practiced this answer over and over again when people inquired him about his odd habits. 

Lavi snorted, crossing his hands behind his head. “But do you really need to wear a fucking coat? Aren’t you roasting?” 

Allen rolled his eyes. “ Asks the one who wears his scarf everywhere.” Allen continued to walk, not expecting an actual answer from Lavi, or expecting it in the way it came.

He felt something wrap around his neck, covering his face except for the eyes and he stopped in his tracks. Lavi couldn’t see his dumbfounded expression, but could still imagine it under the folds of orange fabric. “ We don’t want this pretty face of yours to burn in the sun, do we?” he teased, poking at Allen’s arm. 

Allen pulled the scarf off from his shoulder with a scoff, slapping Lavi’s face gently before tossing it back at him. “Thanks, but I’m good.” His lips turned upwards, forming a small smile, but he turned his face back to the road before Lavi had the chance to catch a glimpse of it. 

They continued walking side by side, passing a few shops and people in their afternoon rush to catch the train home before Lavi spoke up again, dropping the teasing tone. “I know I keep asking you this and I hope that I’m not annoying you with these, but you’re always welcome to come over.” 

“Yeah, I know.. And thanks.” He stopped in front of the subway entrance, looking up at Lavi, who had stopped about a meter from Allen. He supposed this was where they parted ways...

“Well, I’ll see you in a couple of days ,” Lavi said, grinning. He didn’t wait for Allen to say anything before he left to catch his bus. 

It was always like this. Lavi somehow managing to catch Allen the moment he left the hospital, following him around like a stray dog before they went their separate ways. It was odd at first, but soon enough he’d gotten so used to the redhead’s presence that it almost didn’t bother him at all. Even his constant nagging and pleas for Allen to join them for a night out were no longer annoying, just a routine. 

And even if he sometimes was tempted, he knew that once he tried it, he’d probably like it and want to be more and more involved with the humans in his life. 

Still... Lately, he started feeling guilty about declining Lavi’s invitations, as stubborn as he was. The treacherous thought of ‘maybe it won’t be so bad if I go only once’ kept making a guest appearance in his mind.

Even for a vampire he needed some company once in a while, and the daily interaction he already had should have been more than enough for him, but sometimes he craved a little more... 

He was tempted to say yes just one time to see how it was. He already mingled with people, flesh and blood. Making a few friendships here and there might not be completely out of the question. As long as he was cautious... He couldn’t be too impulsive, nothing good ever came out of it.

Maybe he could give a certain redhead a chance for a change. 

Or at least toy with the idea a little while longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Just when Allen thought that he’d have a silent night, the door to the small kitchen burst open. Allen snapped his head up with a disapproving look upon his face. Couldn’t those damn people be a little less animalistic?!

 

Lavi dashed in, shutting the door behind him and dashing straight to the drawers by the sink. He passed by Allen as if he was air. That was a first, Allen thought to himself. Lavi never ignored him

Lavi’s lack of attention to Allen caught his, and Allen watched his back as he was fumbling with the drawer’s content. Resting his book over his knees, he watched Lavi’s back and listened to him hissing under his breath. 

He pulled out a box of tissues and a pack of plasters. Allen’s eyes grew large at the smell that followed Lavi inside the room. It was sweet… and thick and... The aroma of it was so painfully familiar, as if he’s smelled it before... But he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

His eyes followed his every movement, like a cat watching its prey closely in fear that it would spread its wings and fly away… What was it that was messing with his sense? He watched Lavi’s back curiously. Every movement became interesting with that appetizing smell surrounding him. 

 

Turning around to face him, Lavi had a wet tissue pressed hard to his bottom lip. He gave Allen an apologetic look before speaking up, “Sorry for startling you,” he said with his usual silly grin plastered over his face.

Allen nodded, his mouth was hanging open only slightly and when Lavi came to sit down on the chair next to him, his eyes following his every move. Lavi’s blood smelled amazing. Too good. And Allen could feel the urge kindling at the pit of his stomach- impossible to ignore.

“What happened?” Allen asked through a ragged breath. The smell was gradually invading his senses, making him lose his track of coherent thoughts. “I tripped and cut my lip. It won’t stop bleeding,” Lavi winced as he applied more pressure on it. “Oh...” Allen swallowed hard, his mouth watering.

It didn’t quite help how He hadn’t had his share of blood for almost two days now and despite having dinner not too long ago, he felt starved--as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. Something in his eyes lit up as a caught a glimpse of the cut on Lavi’s lip as he threw the bloodied tissue into a used plastic cup. 

It was a deep cut that wasn’t going to stop bleeding anytime soon. That much was certain. 

 

He knew that Lavi was mumbling something, but he couldn’t hear a thing through his own inner mess. Lavi took the second tissue and rolled it into a small ball before throwing it into the cup too. A small bead of blood rolled from his lips to his chin into the table.

Allen couldn’t tear his gaze away.

“Fuck... I really hope I won't need any stitches… it’s gonna look ridicul-” Before Lavi had the chance of finishing his sentence, Allen grabbed into his collar and pulled him into a deep kiss. He smashed their lips together, sucking on Lavi’s bottom lip hungrily. Lavi gasped into his mouth, his eyes popping open in shock. Allen took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, and taste more of Lavi’s essence. Lavi’s natural flavor along, with the rich taste of his blood, sent pleasant shiver down Allen’s spine. 

He continued to kiss Lavi for minutes on end, greedily licking and sucking on every drop of  
blood that oozed from the cut. Lavi completely blacked out minutes ago. His lips moved slowly against Allen’s own. He whined into the kiss, but Allen quickly swallowed every sound that cracked from Lavi’s throat. He bit back a moan of his own, savouring every drop of delicious blood on his tongue. 

Only when Lavi’s lips stopped bleeding and he satiated his thirst did realization dawn on Allen. He released Lavi’s collar, moving away from him timidly. He couldn’t hide the surprise he felt at his actions, and it seemed to reflect on Lavi’s face as well. He opened his mouth to say something, anything... But his mouth ran dry. 

He couldn’t find a reason to explain this to himself... And he definitely didn’t know what to say to Lavi now that he was watching him with mixed feelings and confusion written all over his face. He slowly brought his hand to his still moist lips and lightly tapped on them with the tip of his fingers, as if he was having some weird dream and needed to touch himself to make sure it was all real.

Lavi rubbed against his cut again, hissing against the rough feeling. His eyes focused and he came back down to earth. He looked back at Allen, lips trembling. He didn’t need to voice it for Allen to know that he wanted an explanation. 

“Al… what-” 

Lavi’s voice shook him to action and he made a run for it. Quick as wind, he ran down the hall, passing a few people on his way and almost crashing into the Chaoji, who was cleaning the devil knew what from the floor. He growled something at Allen, but he didn’t have time to stay and listen to whatever crap he had to spew. 

He found that the supply room’s door was unlocked and he quickly moved inside before anyone saw him. Leaning against the door he slowly slid down. Had he had a pulse, he knew that it’d be bursting out of his chest by now. 

He had no idea what came over him. It was just that.. Lavi... He smelled so, so good... And his taste... It still lingered on Allen’s tongue, itching and still sweet as honey. He shook his head, trapping it between the palms of his hands. 

This was bad... Really bad. How could he speak to Lavi after that? He just left him there without any answer, but fuck--he didn’t even know what to think of it himself. Groaning he pulled his legs closer to him and rested his forehead upon his knees. 

Sitting in the dark, quiet room helped to calm his fried nerves a bit. Eventually, if he didn’t have a choice he’d have to deal with it. He couldn’t quit his job and he doubted that this incident between them would make Lavi want to leave either. The moment kept rewinding in his head. How soft Lavi’s lips were against his own. How good he tasted... And it wasn’t like Lavi wasn’t cute or attractive.. But he had his reasons to wanting to keep things the way they were.

He shook his head and with a sigh threw his head back. 

He was so screwed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a little over a week since his last encounter with Lavi. He hadn’t seen him since the evening of his slip. It was as if the universe came to Allen’s aid and did all it could so that their shifts wouldn’t overlap, at least until Allen knew what to do about it. 

Lavi hadn’t shown at the kitchen for days now. Allen hated to admit it, but he was actually missing Lavi’s goofy manner and how he constantly poked at him. It was not the same without him asking if Allen fancied going out to do something fun or just hang out. A part of him still half expected, still hoped for Lavi to storm through door any moment now, to completely ignore whatever Allen was doing and and start talking about anything and everything. 

He couldn’t care less what it was about- aliens, archeology, history or even his pet bunny Jiji... he was missing his chatter.

He hoped that he wasn’t simply creeped out and avoiding him. 

It was getting late, or early, depending on your point of view. Allen’s stomach started to rumble, so he went to have a look around. Luckily for him, there was a new batch of rejected blood bags that night and he managed to find at least one bag that was appetizing enough. He hid it under his shirt and stalked down the hallway, waiting for it to clear before sneaking into the storage room, shutting the door behind him carefully.

Since he used the storage room that one night, it had become a favorite place for him to go and snack when nobody needed him. Here he needn’t remain alarmed or fear that someone might catch him sucking blood. That one would have been hard to explain, and he had a feeling that even if he told anyone that he was a vampire, they wouldn’t believe him and just think that he’s a freak instead. 

Right now, he had no worry in the world. 

It was just him, his bag of blood, and one of his cooking shows that he liked watching on his phone. He was looking for a good recipe for a blood sausage, and even though it didn’t look especially tasty, he could still try and make it work, perhaps if he tried using human blood. He turned on the volume and stuck his earphones in his ears.

He was so focused on his phone and drinking the content of of his bag that he didn’t hear the click of the lock or the person stepping inside. Only when the door opened enough for light to slip inside did Allen realize he’d been found out.

Out of all the people that could have came into the storage room, it had to be Lavi. Fuck. He didn’t even see Lavi’s name on the list tonight...What on earth was he doing here?! 

Allen froze, with his lips still on the bloodbag, hoping that maybe... Just maybe Lavi wouldn’t notice him. 

The hall was the only light source in the darkened room. He didn’t seem to notice him before he walked inside and tapped his hand against the wall in search for a light switch. It took him long enough to find it, knocking a glass bottle off the shelf in the process, which shattered as it met with the floor. 

“Aw, shit,” Lavi groaned in frustration. Crouching down he started to pick up the broken glass from the floor and threw it into the garbage can. 

‘God’ Allen thought,’How could anyone be so clumsy?’

He cursed under his breath when as a piece of glass cut the palm of his hand- the smell of it invading Allen’s senses, his eyes growing as large as orbs in the dark. If he hadn’t just eaten, he would have been able to pounce at Lavi, like a starved animal.  
Allen gulped down the blood that he still had inside of his mouth, but a single drop of it that rolled down his chin went unnoticed. 

Pressing the fabric of his shirt against the fresh cut, Lavi then stood up to turn on the light. He kicked the rest of the broken glass under one of the shelves, mumbling something about getting it cleaned later and then turned around only to meet Allen’s gaze.

He jumped, stifling a scream that almost tore from his throat. “Al, you scared the living shit out of me!” He paused to take a long breath before taking a few careful steps and sliding next to Allen by the wall.

“Why are you sitting here in the dark by yourself? If you’re avoiding Chaoji I heard that he had a bike accident earlier...” 

“I--” Allen began but his mind went blank. For over a week now they’ve been avoiding each other, perhaps unintentionally, but Allen had a gut feeling that it wasn’t exactly so. Their shifts almost always overlapped, and after their little incident, it magically stopped. “ Were you supposed to work today?” 

Lavi shook his head, “ I was asked to come instead of Lena... she got a stomach bug or something.” 

“Oh...” was all Allen managed to say, and it was so quiet that he wasn’t even sure that he made any sound at all.

The awkward silence stretched between them until Lavi spoke up again. “What was it? That kiss, I mean..” 

Allen snapped his head to look at Lavi, but he was not looking back at him. His cheeks flushed in a gentle tint of red and he was staring at a different spot in the large storage room, avoiding looking into Allen’s eyes as he awaited an answer. 

“I don’t know...” Allen admitted. In truth, he hadn’t stopped thinking about Lavi since then and it was driving him insane. 

 

“I mean,Al, no one’s kissed me like that before.” Lavi sniffed, rubbing tip of his tingling nose with the back of his hand. He kept his hand there hide his deepening blush and the timid smile on his face. 

Allen didn’t have the heart to tell him that he just couldn’t overcome his most basic needs and urges to drink human blood and that’s why he kissed him in the first place. But he wasn’t even sure if it was his only reasoning. Lavi’s scent was intoxicating for him. But he was no longer sure that it was just that - and that was what confused him the most.

“I guess I wanted to.” 

It was a thought that somehow managed to escape him. He didn’t really mean to phrase it like that, but Lavi already heard it. 

With that, Lavi finally returned his gaze to him. Allen could tell that he wanted to say something, but stumbled on his words several times. He shifted in his place a bit, trying to find a more comfortable position he let his arms fall limply to his side with a sigh. 

“Hey, did you bite your lip or something? You have a bit of dried blood right here.” Lavi shifted a bit, resting his weight over his unwounded hand and moved to clean the small trail from Allen’s chin. He might not have been bleeding anymore, but the fresh cut still made Allen’s mouth water, but he had to hold himself in place. This time he couldn’t let himself slip. 

He shut his eyes tightly, sucking in air that he didn’t really have any use for. He just hoped that Lavi would be done soon and draw his hand away from his nose and face. It only took a few seconds to clean it off, but it was torturous to Allen. Sitting next to Lavi proved difficult and awkward enough, but the delicious scent of his blood made it worse tenfold. 

 

“Hey... what’s that? Didn’t you get rid of all the rejects? These bags shouldn’t just be tossed around like this...” If Allen still had a beating heart, it would have probably stop right then and there . Lavi continued to inspect the bag. “Why is it empty?” His eyebrows pinched together, as if he was trying to solve a thousand piece puzzle. “Aren’t you supposed to throw the whole thing away...?” 

He let go of the bag suddenly, letting it fall to the floor. Staring at Allen with his mouth agape, he pushed himself farther away from Allen with a few sharp movements. He quickly scrambled for purchase on the shelves, pushing himself upright on wobbly legs, nearly knocking more stuff from the shelves. The blush that was decorating his cheeks drained from his face and now he was as pale as as a corpse. 

“Al...did...did you drink this...?” he stuttered, visibly shaking as he took another step and then another, watching Allen intently. The taut skin around his eye tightened as panic rose in him. It didn’t matter what Allen said now. Two plus two equals four in his mind, and the realization hit him like a truck in the highway. 

He reached his hand up to Lavi, motioning him to stop, but Lavi still looked at him with nothing but horror. “Lavi, wait,” Allen stuttered, but even the small plea didn’t help.Lavi pushed the door open and then disappeared from sight.

Allen’s suspended hand fell to his side.If Lavi running away from him like he was a monster wasn’t enough, the twist of emotions on his face had made it clear. 

He pulled his knees to his chest, grabbing into his hair and burying his face in them. He had to try and fix it.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Allen looked at the address in his phone. This seemed to be the place. The small apartment building was located in a nice place, only a few stops from the hospital. He’s never been here before, but he found it rather quickly. 

He tried looking for Lavi for a couple of days when he heard from Lenalee that Lavi had called in sick. He knew that it was a lie and that this time he was truly avoiding him. The incident from earlier that week left him bitter and afraid.  
He was afraid of people discovering that he was a vampire, about having to change his current way of life, which he’d come to like. But mostly, he was afraid of how Lavi viewed him now. He probably thought he was a monster, even if Allen hadn’t hurt anyone.

Allen wasn’t sure if Lavi had realized what he truly was. Maybe he just believed that he was a freak who drank blood for fun, but that explanation was even worse than the truth. 

He didn’t come prepared, or with any idea what to say to Lavi, if he even opened his door for him. But one thing was sure. He was determined to fix it somehow. He didn’t know if Lavi would even open the door for him. Maybe he was too afraid of him now. 

He almost turned on his heels and ran off, but instead he begged his legs to stay strong. He hesitantly knocked on the door, again and again, but no answer came. He started to fidget with his shirt nervously. He was about to give it one last try and ring the bell, but heard a grumpy voice inside telling him that they were coming. 

The door opened and an old looking man stood before him. The old man looked at him long and hard, scrutinizing him, making Allen feel too exposed.“You...must be Lavi’s...grandpa?” he asked timidly, scratching at his nape. The old man continued to stare at him, long enough to make Allen shift in his place uncomfortably.

“That I am. And you are?” 

“Allen. I work with Lavi and I came to see how he was doing. I heard that he was sick.” 

Without a word, the old man moved from the threshold, clearing Allen’s path and motioning him to come in. Allen blinked, but didn’t make a move yet. “If it wasn’t clear, I grant you permission to come into my home,” the old man barked and it shook Allen into motion. 

“The idiot’s room is the last one down the hall on the right.” 

“Ah thank you Mr…?” 

“Bookman” 

Allen nodded in acknowledgement before moving down the hall towards Lavi’s room, all the while he could still feel Bookman’s eyes on him and hear him mumble something to himself. He knocked on the door, and in less than a few seconds, the door ripped open. “I told you that I’d take out the garbage the moment I finish this essay old ma-” Lavi froze in his spot, staring down at Allen with shock on his face. 

Before Lavi had the chance to scream or slam the door in his face Allen spoke up, “I need to speak to you and explain a few things!” When Lavi didn’t move to close the door or push Allen away Allen tried again. “Please?”  
To Allen’s surprise, Lavi held the door open followed by a quiet, “Come in.” Allen did as told and stood in the middle of the messy room. For some reason, that didn’t actually come off as a surprise to him. Lavi closed the door behind him, standing against it and still not coming closer to Allen. His disheveled hair was sticking everywhere, making it look as if he’s tossed and rolled for hours on end in his bed before he was suddenly awoken.

Allen cleared his throat. “I wanted to explain.” 

He again started to fumble with his shirt, searching for the right words in his mind. He didn’t think that he’d get this far, and right now, he was having a hard time forming any coherent sentence. Everytime he opened his mouth to talk, his tongue failed him and he remained quiet. He herd Lavi sigh heavily from across the room and he looked up. 

“You’re a vampire, aren’t you, Allen?” 

His first instinct was to deny it, to laugh it off and tell Lavi that he got it totally wrong, but he knew that no matter what he did or said now it wouldn’t help. After a long silence, he nodded. “Yes.” 

He expected Lavi to tell him to shoo him away and tell demand him to leave but instead he moved to sit on his bed and invited Allen to join him. Allen sat down next to him, his nose twitching when awful stench hit it. “Oh, hold on a sec-” Lavi took a chain of garlic from under his pillow and shoved it into one of his drawers. 

Allen rolled his eyes, but otherwise chuckled. “Really?” 

“I’m just taking precaution.” Lavi shrugged. 

“It’s not gonna save your ass, you know? It just really stinks.” 

“Well I panicked.” 

“That much I could see.” 

Lavi crossed his legs over the sheets, tilting his head and looking at Allen. “You don’t really drink blood from others, do you? I mean... Except for the blood bags nobody has use for at the hospital, right?” 

Allen nodded. It was the truth. He couldn’t remember when the last time he’d sucked the blood from a human being was, but it was long ago- long before he even met Cross.

Lavi gave him a small smile, “Well that’s not so bad,” There was a pause and Lavi seemed to be thinking of something. He was tapped his fingers against his chin and made eye-contact with Allen. ”Is that why you never come with us?”

“Eeh, yeah. You could say so. My step-dad and I decided that it would be best if I didn’t get too involved because people might find out about me and it would freak them out.” 

“Mmm...” Lavi hummed thoughtfully, absorbing everything in. “Is your step-dad also a vampire?”

“Human, actually.” 

They continued chatting for hours on end, Allen answering any question he had about vampires and his life as one and Lavi telling him about his life as a university student as and how I managed to juggle between school and work. 

“Say, Al.” Lavi waited for Allen’s focus to be on him before he asked with a small, lopsided grin on his face. “Did you kiss me because I was bleeding from my lip?” 

Allen remembered that vividly, as if it had happened only a few minutes ago. If he really concentrated, he could still feel that taste on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah. I guess that’s what it was.” 

Lavi put both hands over his heart in a feigned hurt. “And here I thought that you really had a thing for me.” Despite Lavi’s attempts to make it sound like it wasn’t a big deal, Allen could still detect some disappointment in his voice. 

“Well, that and you’re cute ?” he said almost apologetically, unable to resist those beaten puppy eyes. It took Allen longer than it should have, but now it only seemed natural to admit it. He hadn’t realized before. Not until Lavi’s absence started to weigh heavy like a stone over his shoulders.

A blush broke over Lavi’s cheeks, his hands fumbling to cover his burning face. “You what...?”

To emphasize his point Allen leaned in, clutching ever so slightly to the front of Lavi’s shirt and giving him a coursary peck on the lips. He couldn’t explain the urge that came over him, but he knew that actions were better than words. 

He just hoped he wasn’t mistaken about this one... 

He pulled away slowly. He was a little afraid of reading Lavi totally wrong and upsetting him, but before he pulled completely away, Lavi’s hand wrapped around his neck and gently tugged him into another kiss, slower and longer this time.

When the need finally arouse Lavi reluctantly broke the kiss for air, and rested his forehead against Allen’s, panting gently. He continued to play Allen’s silky strands in between his fingers, admiring it. 

By the time the rain started pouring outside it was close to midnight, but neither of them really noticed how time flew by. They lay tangled in bed, Lavi’s arm draped limply over Allen’s waist. 

“Hey… is it only me or does your grandpa know that I am a vampire? Because earlier I had a hunch-”

“Oh, definitely. He can tell. He’s probably hoping that you’ve sucked me dry so he’d finally get rid of me.” Lavi snorted, burying his face in the crook of Allen’s neck.

“Sucked you dry, huh? We’ll see about that,” Allen punched him lightly on the arm, but then rested it over his shoulder. 

Lavi’s eyebrows pinched in confusion before the familiar blush spread over his cheeks. Even in the darkness, Allen could see how vividly it colored his face. “I... you know I didn’t mean it like that... Not that I mind or any-” Allen shut him up with a kiss once more. 

 

With nothing but the sound of rain tapping the window and Lavi’s shallow breaths, Allen closed his eyes and for the first time in years,fell asleep with the moon up high in the sky.


End file.
